


Five times Dwalin tried to propose to Nori, and one time Nori said yes

by Blue_Sparkle



Series: Tales and Missadventures of a Thief, His Soldier and All the Others [1]
Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: 5 Times, M/M, marriage proposals
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-30
Updated: 2013-10-17
Packaged: 2017-12-28 01:24:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/985990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blue_Sparkle/pseuds/Blue_Sparkle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Five times Dwalin tried to propose to his thief and failed, and one time Nori said yes</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

  * For [imnotbowered](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=imnotbowered).



Dwalin wasn’t sure when he first had thought of marrying Nori, at least not when he first consciously decided that he wanted to. It must have been at the back of his mind way before what they were to each other even started resembling a proper relationship, one they made no effort to hide or keep completely in private.

Even when he was much younger, Dwalin had hardly ever thought about what the future would bring much, he had learned that nothing ever turned out as expected anyway the hard way. Marrying and settling down certainly wasn’t one of the things on his mind, and what Nori meant to him, or what role he could play in his life neither.

And at first Nori had just been that no-good scoundrel who occasionally caused a ruckus at the market or was involved with some fights in shady taverns. Somehow Dwalin had expected to always have to deal with that and maybe be the one to haul Nori to the jails. Later the expectoration broadened to a scenario in which Nori sometimes let him fuck him or even would seek Dwalin out himself for that purpose. 

Their relationship was a gradual one, and after a while these expectations slowly started to include Nori sleeping in Dwalin’s bed, meeting up with him just because he enjoyed spending time with him alone; spending nights when they just held each other without doing much else, his fingers making tiny braids in Dwalin’s hair just the undo them and braid them up again, over and over. 

Days like that were nice and on the rare occasions Dwalin did try to imagine what the future would bring, more like those were among what he hoped for. He would not think of his personal life if he could help it, the day would come when Thorin would decide that the time had come to reclaim Erebor, and till then there really was no sense it trying to build a ‘life’ that would bind him to a larger family and home. Nori was good like that, a constant but not likely to actually restrict him to only place. 

Eventually Dwalin realized that he hadn’t really thought of _any_ future in which Nori would _not_ be there, live with him, sleep by his side and wake up there in the morning _every_ morning rather than rushing off to get back to his family’s house before they could notice his absence and ask where he’d been, and if he did leave before Dwalin woke, it was to deal with his own business and then return to _him_. He imagined them simply sitting by the fireplace, with nothing to do, just Nori playing with his hair, in their _own_ home and not meeting up somewhere else or wait until their brothers weren’t there to see.

It took a while to realize that he was basically fantasizing about a married life, but when the thought finally occurred to Dwalin completely, he could not get it out of his mind anymore.

He _did_ want to marry Nori, he had already passed the stage of their relationship when he had vaguely worried about his and his brother’s reputation suffering from it, he had gotten used to what a life with a thief brought with it after the first couple of nights Nori exited his house through the window and across the rooftops.

Dwalin had already started to learn how to make sure that all entrances to his family’s house and his own rooms were locked in a way that one who was familiar with the locks would be able to slip through quickly and soundlessly. He had made efforts to ensure that Nori knew where to find emergency knives and ropes and the basic medical supplies, after the first times he had returned with cuts and bruises from a pub brawl or had looked for something to take back for his mates who dared not seek out a healer themselves.

He knew how to judge where and when Nori would most likely be most of the time and how to reassure Dori that he didn’t know or send him looking at the opposite side of town. He knew how to recognize people who were Nori’s fellow crooks and drinking buddies and the ones who would gladly try to cut Nori’s throat to get what they claimed he owed them and he knew how to deal with them. He started learning some of the signs that thieves used among themselves to recognize one another and he even tried to knot threads into thief’s patterns like Nori did, to make them have a meaning, even though he’d never really need them for anyone but a Dwarf he could talk to normally, his clumsy fingers never getting the patterns quite right.

Some of the small time criminals and friends Nori spend his time with even started to recognize Dwalin, and knew that he wasn’t always ‘the guard’ and relaxed around him on the occasions they met him with Nori. 

In short, he was already on his best way to becoming a thief’s husband in all but name. 

Actually proposing was the next obvious step.


	2. Attempt 1

When Dwalin asked Nori to marry him for the first time, it was an accident. He had not meant to even mention that he considered doing it to _anyone._

Not even to ask Thorin what he would _hypothetically_ do to propose to someone he wasn’t quite sure wanted to settle down. Not even to ask Balin for how to do something where the answer would be so uncertain and the relationship shouldn’t suffer, or his mother in her endless wisdom and often unusual approach to matters.

Nori had sprained his wrist a while back, and still couldn’t move his hand much or carry heavy things without causing himself pain or damaging it further. Dwalin had offered to help him, with work or if he wanted or needed anything, though he was sure that Dori and the brothers’ mother would prefer to have Nori not do anything difficult anyway. 

And still Dwalin found himself following Nori through the crowded market, carrying big bundles of cloth and wool that were far heavier than anything containing something so light had any right to be. Nori had probably thought that Dwalin was only trying to be polite, but he still was pleased when he had lead him to the market to fetch materials for their family’s shop and Dwalin had not complained about actually helping out. 

Nori had laughed at Dwalin when he had insisted that he could carry all of what Dori had ordered at once – it was just wool and linen for crying out loud – but had just paid the merchant without further comment. Now that they were walking through the market, Nori only occasionally looked back over his shoulder with a smirk but didn’t say anything about the strained look on Dwalin’s face and the pained grunting he tried to suppress. It would have been better if he just could hold on to the load with _both_ hands, or if it were smaller. This way he had to hold the strings with one hand, awkwardly balancing all between his shoulder and arm.

It was a busy day and sometimes Dwalin worried that he’d get stuck with the wide bundle, with all the carts and people about. Nori lead him through the quietest parts, slipping between the Dwarves where Dwalin could follow without having to stop too often or knock things down by accident. Though the distance would be longer than if they had walked straight to the Ri’s house Dwalin soon noticed that they were making a faster progress that way, and he was glad as he wasn’t sure how long he could keep carrying the load without having to put it down. And he really didn’t want to have to do _that_. 

For all the care they took to keep away from anyone who might get into their way, they had to hurry to the side as someone’s pony baulked and made everyone shirk from it. Dwalin turned the bundle on his shoulder away from the small commotion, keeping it steady and stepping back to the nearest wall, but Nori had to repeatedly dodge several Dwarves, who had not noticed where they were backing off to, cradling his bad hand close to his chest as he jumped aside from each of them with an irritated look on his face.

Without thinking much of it Dwalin reached out to steady Nori and pull him against his side, holding him tight to keep him out of the way of the others, and the others away from Nori’s arm. They watched as the owner of the pony calmed it down and everyone cleared out to go about their business, before walking on themselves.

Nori didn’t slip out of Dwalin’s hold, and though it made carrying the bundle a great deal more uncomfortable Dwalin just adjusted his grip on it and Nori’s shoulders, keep the shorter Dwarf close and safely away from any further disturbance they might encounter, as he was lead through the streets.

Nori tilted his head back to look up at Dwalin with a bright grin.

“Such a gallant Dwarf I have caught myself. Very sweet of you to save me from being crushed by that horrible stampede!” He laughed and leaned against Dwalin’s side. Dwalin snorted but held him tighter anyway.

“You could be pretending to swoon in the middle of an actual stampede and all would rush to rescue you, don’t need _me_ for that.”

His reply was met with Nori knocking his head against Dwalin’s shoulder and a cheerful laugh.

“Ah, but I mean it! I’m not joking about all of that, you are the nicest Dwarf the likes of me could hope for, good for more than just rescuing. Most wouldn’t be so helpful for a pretty smile after actually getting to know me. Ah, what would I only do without you, my big scary warrior?”

Dwalin bowed his head down, Nori’s hair brushing against his cheek. He shifted the bundle slightly and said, close to Nori’s ear:

“Well, you could always marry me then.”

He didn’t know why he had said that, so stupid to suggest it at a moment like that, but Nori laughed like it was just a great joke, poked him with his elbow and then slipped away from Dwalin’s hold to dash on ahead. 

Soon after he returned with a bunch of little berry-pies Ori loved so much, offering some of it to Dwalin with a smile. Accepting them, Dwalin was careful to keep his scowl and disappointment at bay. It didn’t matter that Nori had no reason to take this for anything else than a silly remark and actually answer, but Dwalin _had_ meant it.

Later they were sitting in the kitchen of Nori’s house, having some tea Dori had made them after fussing a little over Nori. Afterwards he’d taken the bundle from Dwalin and disappeared back into the workshop, so they were alone with the tea and Ori’s quickly shrinking pile of pies. Nori laughed and joked about how Dwalin was sulking slightly, but he seemed to believe that it was because of having to carry something so heavy for so long. 

He seemed to have forgotten Dwalin’s remark altogether, and Dwalin wasn’t sure whether he felt relief or disappointment about that. He didn’t bring it up again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You get two chapters on the same day, because this much was already done when I decided to split the story into chapters. _Maybe_ attempt 2 will be done this evening, but I can't promise it. 
> 
> un-betaed again


	3. Attempt 2

2\. 

In the following years Dwalin didn’t try to ask for Nori’s hand again, he even made sure that the subject of marriage in general would never enter their conversations. Both Nori and Dwalin had travelled a lot, and barely even had time to see one another, always returning to Ered Luin just to find out that the other had just left on some journey of his own.

It felt like Dwalin hadn’t had the time to actually _spend_ any time with Nori in _years_. He had returned from a journey to the Iron Hills and through some towns of Men where he had tried to find work, hopeful to see Nori, to hold him in his arms for just a little bit, talk again, anything at all. 

When he arrived at the door of his house, it was Dori who opened up and gave an explanation in a very dry tone, as if he himself was very much done with having to deal his brother’s behaviour. According to him, Nori had somehow gotten into trouble with some band of smugglers and decided that Rohan was very nice at that time of the year. 

Instead of spending the night with his lover and maybe a nice fuck after way too long with only his hand and the attempt to remember exactly how Nori’s fingers had felt in its place, Dwalin ended up alone, on a cold bed and with some treads he furiously knotted into all insults he knew, only to cast them all into the fire. 

When Nori finally returned to stay at Dori’s place again, there still wasn’t much time for anything, as Thorin and their cousins decided that the time to reclaim Erebor was nearing and things had to be prepared. Everyone was kept busy and most of the time Dwalin only saw Nori in the market, but never for long as Nori seemed to disappear into the crowd as soon as he was noticed.

Everyone was busy gathering all they’d need for the quest, making sure they would be able to get enough equipment, ponies and provisions for hundreds of Dwarves in time, then a few dozens, and in the end only one dozen. Nori signed on unexpectedly, and then his brothers too, but even though they now saw each other daily he still didn’t approach Dwalin at all. He wasn’t avoiding him, but they simply had different tasks during the preparations, and nobody else really got to just stop and chat with him either. 

Sometimes Dwalin wondered whether Nori even really wanted to get their relationship back to the point it had been before the long period of not even seeing each other, or if he even had _cared_ like Dwalin was sure he had.

There were days when Dwalin wondered if Nori had other lovers, or perhaps just fucked someone willing when he felt like it. Nori had that reputation after all, and he never promised anything, had never _said_ that he loved Dwalin, even if he had seemed to act like he did. Perhaps he thought that Dwalin had been doing the same, even though Dwalin really hadn’t even considered taking someone to bed since their arrangement started and after he realized that he loved Nori and wanted to spend his life with him.

Everyone else always just assumed that Nori wouldn’t be faithful, and without actually agreeing to anything-

Very soon Dwalin decided to just stop imagining Nori with other Dwarves, there was nothing to do be done about having a (possibly ex) lover who had no interest in him any more.

Once the quest started Nori stayed by the side of his brothers, or with Bofur whispering on about something and with the princes, who had taken a liking to his stories. Dwalin didn’t push it, never tried to catch Nori on his own or talk in some privacy, like they hadn’t in too long. Who knew if he was welcomed after all?

After picking up the wizard and the tiny Hobbit who was supposed to be their burglar and being well on their way out of the Shire, it was Nori who finally gave him a sign. He did so by crawling into Dwalin’s bedroll, which he had laid out the farthest from the campfire for once. He wouldn’t be on watch that night but he could at least let others take the warmest and safest place instead.

At first he didn’t recognize the shape in the darkness and already drifting off to sleep, but then he saw Nori’s face looking up at him, as he carefully arranged the blankets around them.

“Finally some privacy. Go on, move it’s cold here” he said and sighed happily when Dwalin shifted to let him curl up by his side. He hadn’t expected that and quickly glanced over to where none of the company had seen Nori disappear. 

“Do you mind if I stay?” Nori asked as if he had sensed Dwalin’s unease. His voice sounded slightly unsure, and he shifted as if he was ready to go if sent away.

Finally Dwalin relaxed and pulled him closer with a chuckle.

“Not at all. But only if you let me sleep now and don't disturb me.” 

Nori hummed in agreement and curled his fingers around handfuls of Dwalin’s shirt. 

“Wouldn’t dream of it, soldier.”

 

***

 

From that night on Nori wouldn’t avoid Dwalin anymore than he had before they had spent years apart. He wouldn’t spend too much time flirting with him under Dori’s watchful eyes, but at night when they set up their camp he would choose to sit by Dwalin’s side more often than not, and once in a while, when they could get away from the company for a bit, he would crawl into Dwalin’s bedroll to share kisses and hands to get each other off.

It was really nice that way, about as open as Nori would have gotten about their relation in any other situation; at least Dwalin was sure that Nori still wanted him, if nothing else. There still was a tiny voice inside his head wondering if Nori didn’t just want a good fuck and he was the only one to his taste in the company, but that was easily ignored when Nori smiled at him across the fire with real warmth in his eyes or kissed his cheek and his jawline on the nights when they did nothing more than hold each other.

They nearly died during the quest even before they reached the places they had thought would bring the most danger with them. They had nearly been cooked by halfwitted trolls, chased by orcs, nearly thrown of mountain cliffs, and captured by goblins. Dwalin had nearly lost all who were dear to him in the Misty Mountains, either from being slaughtered by goblins and orcs or from being crushed by rocks and their corpses. Thorin had been the chewy toy of a bloody warg and they all nearly got fried on a burning pine that threatened to break and fall into the abyss with them on it. 

Really enough to last a lifetime and they hadn’t even reached the Mirkwood yet.

When they were finally in safety and washing off the dust and ashes at a river, Dwalin still could feel the touch of Nori’s fingers, where they had clung to his arm as he had carried him away through the tunnels after nearly being crushed by the goblin king’s corpse. Even with the prospect of Dori’s disapproving looks and the company’s teasing, he went to make sure that Nori was really all right after all that, and Nori, who had been applying some of Óin’s bruise salve to his chest by the riverbank, just wrapped his arm around Dwalin and refused to let go for quite a while. None said a thing about it later.

 

***

 

They reached the house of some shape shifter Gandalf knew that evening, and despite Dwalin’s unease at having intelligent animals walk about through the house and their host being a giant of a Man who supposedly could turn into something even more dangerous, they finally got some good food and proper beds, so he didn’t complain about it. 

The first night neither he nor Nori had any energy left to do more than to hold on to one another and sleep, comforted by their friends and family being alive, unharmed and close together, with no one lost. 

The next day everyone started to spread out in Beorn’s home, taking a look around the fields surrounding it, talking to the animals or using the opportunity of having a proper kitchen and a larger variety of food. Dwalin had thought to maybe corner Nori in some secluded spot, but he couldn’t find the thief anywhere. Instead he sat by Balin’s side and helped sharpening their weapons and sort through the packs and things that had survived the Misty Mountains.

Later in the evening their host returned, and that was when Nori appeared too. As they sat down to eat at the table, Beorn made Bilbo sit by his side, and though the entire company tensed about how the large Man treated their Hobbit and called him bunny, Bilbo seemed to not mind that much and only be mildly annoyed and flustered about it. In the moments Beorn didn’t pay attention to him, it was Nori he talked to the most.

The thief would listen with interest, and always go on asking questions with a smile and a coy tilt of his head as he leaned closer the shapeshifter. Dwalin tried not mind, or ignore it, but the sight of Nori… _flirting_ with the Man kept pulling his attention back in.

It was absurd, why would Nori want to flirt with him, why would anyone even think of that? But then, this was Nori, of whom people said that he’d try anything he might consider a challenge. Mahal’s forges, just flirting with _Dwalin_ might have been considered a challenge and he was sure that Nori would have gotten a nice sum of gold from people who bet that he would be too intimidated to even try and seduce him.

‘Bad Idea’ was Nori’s type from what Dwalin could tell. And if not Beorn, then Nori was perhaps just practicing his skills for a later opportunity? He quickly pushed aside that thought; Nori wouldn’t _want_ a later opportunity _now_. He was just… __accustomed to acting that way.

That night everyone set up their beds further apart than the one before, and Dwalin dragged Nori into a corner far enough from the others to really have some privacy.

He had his way with him, far rougher than he had in ages, now that they could be a bit louder without alerting whoever was on watch, but Nori didn’t seem to mind. Dwalin loved seeing his lover come undone in his arms, bitemarks on his collarbones and neck, just high enough that he’d have to take care the next morning. Nori was his now and it satisfied Dwalin to know that none would even try to fight his claim. 

“Have you missed this? When you were out traveling or when I was gone?”

“Yesss, missed you and your hands” Nori gasped out as Dwalin made use of them “Always – hmmm, _oh_ just there – though of you when I felt lonely.”

Dwalin ran his hands over Nori’s torso and hitched his legs up into a more comfortable position as he leaned closer towards Nori’s face.

“Did you think of me when you were with others? Did you imagine it was me, when you found random strangers to shag you on your travels?” He pressed himself against Nori, quickening his pace as he pushed himself deeper into him. “Did you only look for Dwarves or did you let Men take you, too? Tell me, I don’t mind, I’m just curious if I can compete with what you want.”

Nori’s eyes opened at that and he gave Dwalin a sharp look.

“What do you mean by- _ah_.”

He threw back his head again as Dwalin moved in just the right way. For a few moments he couldn’t make another sound apart from small cries and moans, then he pushed himself of the mattress and shoved Dwalin around so that Nori was straddling his lap.

If Dwalin had thought that his pace had been rough, then it was nothing compared to how Nori rode him, dragging his fingernails across Dwalin’s chest harder than was really comfortable. He bit Dwalin’s shoulder hard enough to draw blood, and his fingers kept digging into bruised skin.

It hurt but it also pushed Dwalin over the edge, and he came with a soft groan. Nori finished himself off with a few quick strokes and then lay down across Dwalin’s chest.

“Well… Let us just say that nobody else has ever… done _this_.”

He sniffed and pulled the blankets over them, and didn’t say another word all night.

 

****

 

Dwalin didn’t know how, but somehow he ended up sitting with Ori, Kíli and the Hobbit while they discussed the courting rituals of the Shire.

He didn’t care for things like that, listening to some customs involving flowers and which ones you must pick and after how many dates it is acceptable to share food and watch the sunset… It all sounded very boring and needlessly chaste to him.

That was until Ori started sighing and saying how romantic it all was. 

“Oh please, tell me about how your mother accepted your fathers proposal again, it does sound so very nice.”

He asked, and opened his notebook at a fresh page to write it down. Bilbo laughed and took a drag out of his borrowed pipe. 

“Who knew that Dwarves would care for silly things like that? Well, how my aunts told it, it was a surprising ad sweet thing. You know, my mother used to be a wild sort, a Took through and through. Nobody had though that she’d ever settle down, and my father was the least likely match one could imagine for her.” 

Kíli and Ori shifted closer as Bilbo described how his father had collected the largest bouquet with the prettiest flowers and how he had went up to Belladonna, sunk down on one knee and asked her to be his wife. Belladonna had been so surprised that she didn’t answer immediately, so that curious hobbits started to notice what was going on, and had come closer. And Bungo had nearly gotten up to apologize and leave before she had accepted and thrown herself into his arms. 

It still sounded silly to Dwalin, but he could see how the situation described by Bilbo could be seen as a very romantic gesture. Especially if there was nothing there one would offer during a traditional Dwarven courtship. 

Bilbo had laughed at the way the two young Dwarves started discussing the merits of giving flowers, and Ori kept saying how he would love to be proposed to like that, while Kíli wondered aloud what sort of flowers and how many would be appropriate. 

Neither of them had really paid any attention to Dwalin, so he could approach Bilbo without them looking up from their talk.

“Can I ask you for a favour, Burglar?” Dwalin asked quietly. “I’d be in your debt.”

Bilbo looked up from his pipe in surprise, but nodded for him to go on.

“The flowers…. The one your father collected, do you think they grow here?” He gestured back at Beorn’s fields. Bilbo took a moment to look at it and then shook his head.

“The ones my father used to give my mother only grow in spring. I wouldn’t find any this late in the year.”

“Oh I see. Thank you anyway.” Dwalin sighed and turned to go.

“Oh, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t any nice ones growing here!” Bilbo quickly added as he noticed Dwalin’s disappointment. “I can help you collect one that is just as beautiful and has the same significance?” 

Dwalin nodded, relieved that his idea wasn’t impossible after all, and followed Bilbo to go and ask Beorn’s bees for some flowers.

 

****

 

An hour later Dwalin was balancing an enormous and sweetsmelling bouquet of flowers in his arms. It did look pretty in a way, and he even had tied a clumsy ribbon around it, made from one of his torn spare shirts. He even attempted to make some knots in its ends, but the material was too thick to make the symbols he knew. 

Finding Nori alone was harder, but eventually Dwalin found him lurking behind the house. 

Nori watched him approach with raised eyebrows and a smirk.

“What are these for?” 

Dwalin didn’t reply until he was right in front of him, and then he sunk down to his knee and held out the bouquet.

“Nori, son of Kori, would you do me the honour of being my husband? I cannot offer you anything but these flowers now, but I will gift you a bead and all the jewels you deserve once we’re in Erebor.”

At first Nori just stared down at him, unmoving, and Dwalin didn’t rise or move away either, just held the flowers out towards him until his shoulders ached. Then Nori tilted his head back and a few emotions flickered over his face before he settled on a mixture of condensation and disgust. 

“No, I don’t think I want to”, he said, tone suddenly icy. 

He turned to go and Dwalin quickly jumped to his feet, grabbing Nori’s wrist.

“What? Just like that? Can I at least know why?!”

Nori pulled himself free and sneered back at Dwalin.

“I just don’t think that I want to be the husband of someone like you. You can keep those flowers to yourself. And your beads and jewels, too.”

Dwalin watched Nori go open mouthed. Why had he reacted like that, what had he done to get such a cold response? When Nori nearly reached Beorn’s house, he stopped again.

“And don’t try to approach me anymore either, just keep as far away from me as you can here”, he said and disappeared around the corner. 

***

Dwalin had hoped that Nori would calm down sooner or later, he had been unapproachable before after all. But Nori kept away from him, and refused to acknowledge his presence. When Dwalin tried to talk to him, ask what had happened and maybe apologize, but Nori always rose from his seat and left when he saw him, and once even climbed on the house’s roof.

Even after Beorn lend them some ponies and they set out to travel towards Mirkwood, Nori still gave Dwalin the silent treatment. It was frustrating. 

Eventually Nori came to him again, when they had no food or water left, with all hopes of surviving gone. They sat, leaning against the trees, fighting to stay awake, when Nori sat down by Dwalin’s side and buried his face in his shoulder.

“I’m sorry” he mumbled as he curled up against him. 

Dwalin just sighed and kissed what he could reach of his head as he wrapped Nori in his arms. They didn’t say anything else as they waited for the next day to arrive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> in which everyone fails at proper communication and assumes too much 
> 
> have the next chapter *crawls away to hide*


	4. Attempt 3

The battlefield was stretching out to all sides. It was a horrible sight, as they all were. The fallen lying everywhere, the injured and the healers staggering around to find their friends or anyone who could be saved and needed help to get to the mountain.

The ground was getting hard and frozen in some places, covered in white and grey as ash and ice spread, muddy and black from blood in others.

It was a horrible sight and still it was not as bad as Azalnurbizar had been. The dead bodies Dwalin could see were mostly wargs and orcs and goblins, their own had not fallen in as high numbers as they had so many decades before.

Perhaps this seemed less bad as Dwalin had gotten used to battle since then, or because that first great one had happened when he had been so much younger and the memories had turned into nightmares far worse than the real thing over the years.

Nobody knew whether Thorin would survive the many wounds he had gotten in the fight, and Dwalin hadn’t even heard of how Dís’ sons fared, with the healers being too busy trying to save them to spare the time to let anyone know.

Other than that none of their company had gotten hurt more than what a few stitches and set bones and bandages couldn’t fix. It was a relief to know, that none Dwalin knew and cared about was actually dead; there was even the hope that the entire company would get away with their life.

He found Nori standing alone at the edge of the battlefield, close to the hastily erected tents for those who were injured and needed shelter. He seemed to be fine, apart from scratches and shallow cuts on his arms and face, with dried mud and stains of blood on his armour and clothes that wasn’t his own and he didn’t seem to mind it much.

Dwalin approached him carefully and loud enough that Nori would hear him come, in case he was still on edge after the battle. He didn’t shrink away when Dwalin placed a hand on his shoulder, just quickly glanced up at Dwalin and away again, towards where they had fought only a few hours ago.

Nori was strangely calm, not showing any signs of distress apart from being tense all over. Dwalin was too, his blood not quite settled from the rush of the fight yet. He would have tried to help Nori calm down and relax, but the mail he was wearing would only hurt him if Dwalin tried to rub out the knots in his muscles, and perhaps it was better to wait until they actually could go to rest and sleep, out of sight of the desolation around them.

For someone who was no warrior and had no experience in actual battles, Nori was exceptionally brave, Dwalin thought. Of course he had known and seen how good of a fighter Nori was, but through all of it, and even now, he had been so calm. With all he was used to from the circles he moved in, and from Mahal knew what Nori had been up to during his travels, he maybe _did_ have experience dealing with such situations.

All members of the company had done far better than the warriors had expected, though. Perhaps they would even handle the aftermath better than Dwalin and all the other young soldiers had in the past.

They stood in silence for a while, Dwalin’s hand on Nori’s shoulder, and gradually he felt some of the tension leave the other’s body.

"So we have survived after all", Nori said, his voice very quiet and rough from exhaustion, and Dwalin though that it sounded high too, like Nori had been very close to hysteria and a panic attack.

"Aye"

They watched the sky turn orange and red, strangely beautiful after all of the day’s battle and the danger that could have come from it while Smaug still had been alive.

They had fought and survived so much, against all odds, they were whole and together, they had their entire life before them now, with no other danger in store for them.

Dwalin had not thought much of how he wanted to get Nori to agree to be his husband anymore, with how Nori had reacted the last times and with the dangers awaiting them. But wasn’t this the best moment to ask Nori to marry him, here, at the edge of a battlefield? Amongst warriors and Dwarves in general this would be considered about as sincere as a declaration of love could get. Nori wouldn’t assume that it was a joke or a lark like he probably had before. 

"Nori, there is something I must ask you."

Dwalin’s fingers brushed over Nori’s shoulder to his back and tangled into the strands of hair that had escaped their braids. His eyes met Nori’s, bright and gleaming red in the dawn, as Nori looked up at him questioningly.

"You are my friend, and my shield brother now, the best one could ask for. And, if you would… If you like, I would very much wish for us to be husbands too?"

Nori stared up at him, mouth moving slightly as if he wanted to speak but kept reconsidering. Dwalin loosened his hold on him, to give him the opportunity to move away and leave, but Nori only leaned back into his hands.

"Dwalin, I’m sorry, please don’t be… I just… But, no. I’m sorry, no."

Dwalin sighed and brought his other hand up to cup Nori’s cheek.

“Is there a reason why? Do you simply hate the idea of marriage or is it me?”

“Dwalin-“ Nori looked up at him with a pained expression and bit his lip, before glancing away and leaning into Dwalin’s arms.

“Don’t ask this, I don’t want to- Just- not now, don’t ask- Don’t be mad at me.“ With him usually being so quick to respond to anything, it was strange to see Nori struggle to find the right words now. Dwalin spared him of it by pulling him into his arms and brushing his hands soothingly over Nori’s back.

“It doesn’t matter to me, if you don’t want to marry. I don’t need an explanation, really.”

Nori sighed and noticeably relaxed, leaning further into Dwalin’s arms, as much as was comfortable with their armour and bruises getting in the way.

“It’s not you, though, I want to be with you, just don’t ask this of me.”

Dwalin smiled wistfully.

“I know, I won’t.”

They stood there for a little while longer, just holding each other, until the chill of the winter air made them retreat towards the fires and were the rest of the company was. The rejection stung, but this time Dwalin managed to force all thoughts of it out of his mind. Perhaps one day Nori would change his mind, but now there was nothing to be done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> un-betaed and now I'm certain that I will have to fix and rewrite some of this fic once it's done


	5. Attempt 4

It’s been weeks since Nori had left on a mission for the crown. It was an important one and might even be dangerous, but everybody was sure that Nori had needed that. He had never stayed in one place for too long, he had always disappeared sooner or later, even if it was just for a few days at a time. He just had to wander once in a while and the years spend trying to avoid the law had only strengthened that habit. In the years after they had reclaimed Erebor, Nori hadn’t travelled further than Dale, so it was only normal that his next journey would be a long one.

Dwalin understood that Nori would want that time to be alone, and he had to travel quicker than two Dwarves, however experienced in journeying they might be, could manage. He accepted that he shouldn’t go with Nori; that it might not only annoy the Spymaster but perhaps also jeopardize his mission. It didn’t mean that he couldn’t miss his lover more than he’d ever admit to anyone.

In the years after the Battle of Five Armies, as it was called now, they had all slowly rebuild their old homes, or new ones they chose for themselves. Dwalin had settled for the place he grew up in, a mansion big enough that he and Balin could live in the same place without actually getting into each others way and still having as much privacy as they would have had on their own.  
While Nori and his brothers had their own house, he still spent most of his time in Dwalin’s. He never stayed inside any house for most of the day, but he would often just sit in Dwalin’s study, read through reports or work on something on his little handloom. 

It was comfortable and Dwalin had gotten used to more or less living with Nori, and Nori seemed to be quite happy that way too. It was strange to be alone now, even though he had been before, and Nori had been gone for much longer too.

The time he spent alone was useful nevertheless. Without Nori around to pry into Dwalin’s own business, the warrior could make plans in peace. Despite being rejected twice already, he wanted to try and ask Nori for his hand in marriage again. After so much time living like a couple things might have changed enough for him to change his opinion, too. 

The last times the proposals had been spontaneous, so Dwalin decided that he would actually think every step through and prepare it. Nori usually preferred to get straight to the point when discussing important matters, asking him to marry him should be done the same way then. 

Apart from it having to be a serious discussion, Dwalin would have to make sure that Nori was in the right mood. He did not always like to talk about their relationship or things that he considered too sentimental and he would refuse to listen if he thought that the topic was getting too serious or was leading to conflict.

No, it’d be best to first make sure that he was in a good mood, relaxed, and ready to talk about their relationship before actually doing anything like proposing. And it’d be better to keep it simple and private, too, just like a business talk.

After returning from the long and hard journey on behalf of Thorin, Nori would be tired and in need of some quiet and a familiar settings; with that in mind Dwalin set out to prepare everything for the day of his lover’s return.

He couldn’t cook anything nice, but he made sure that there’d be a simple and filling meal ready anyway, with as much of Nori’s favourite foods as he could manage. He wasn’t sure at what time Nori would return and whether he’d have more things to do at court before finally being free, so Dwalin bought cold pastries at the market and went to the kitchens himself to ask for anything that was easy to warm up or could be enjoyed cold.

 

The day of Nori’s return was coming closer and soon Dwalin had everything prepared. Now all that he had left to do was to wait.

 

***

 

It was already dawn outside of the mountain when Nori finally was finished with his audience with the King. Dwalin had waited outside of the chambers and as soon as the doors opened Nori practically threw himself at him.

"Ah~ _now_ I finally am at home and done with my damn duties" he said as he nuzzled into the furs of Dwalin’s jacket happily. He let go of the guard and grinned up at him. "Did you miss me?"

"Aye, more than you know" Dwalin held Nori’s hands tight and took in the sight of his lover. "Lets go home now?"

Nori raised his eyebrows with a smirk.

"What, you missed me _that_ much? Na, lets go to a tavern! It’s been ages since I had some good ale. The stuff they had down there was utter rubbish, only bearable when completely wasted and sadly I had no opportunity for that. We can still go to your place later."

He pulled Dwalin along to the streets leading towards the lower districts of the city.

"Nori, wait, I mean it, we should return home I- I prepared you food, I thought you’d like to have all your favourite things after you were gone and-"

Dwalin trailed off lamely. That wasn’t a good reason to convince Nori to come with him and he couldn’t _say_ why he had prepared everything, that would defeat the entire purpose of setting up the right place and mood for it.

"Ah" Nori looked up at Dwalin with a fond smile. He leaned up and kissed him deeply, savouring the moment of finally being able to do that after ages of no contact. "Thank you Dwalin, that was really sweet of you. You shouldn’t have though, I’m entirely happy to have a shoddy dinner at a tavern. I missed that nearly as much as I did you."

He walked on and Dwalin followed him with a sigh. As much as he liked the idea of having a quiet dinner and evening with his lover, he should have known that even despite the wariness of travel Nori would very likely prefer to go out anyway. Perhaps there still would be time for it later?

They entered the shoddiest little tavern Nori could find, not part of the actual criminal bits of town but it was near the mines and the tunnels and streets surrounding it weren’t the nicest of places to celebrate. The ale was good though, so Nori and Dwalin proceeded to get drunk on it.

While Dwalin was draining way more of it that he probably should, he decided that there was no way he could ask Nori if he would maybe like to consider marrying him _now_. Not with how quickly the cheep beverage was staring to kick in.

Very soon he could not even stand without swaying and he was sure that a little bit more of the ale and he wouldn’t remember how to get back home through the unfamiliar streets and maybe even drop while trying to walk. 

Nori, who hadn’t had that much of the ale, pulled him up before that could happen and lead him out of the door.

Dwalin’s dizzy mind took a little while to realize that it must have been the backdoor, as he soon found himself in a deserted backalley, kneeling over Nori, who dragged him closer and tugged at his trousers impatiently and made encouraging sounds as Dwalin ran his hands over his chest.

He wasn’t too drunk for that yet, not really. Nori must have planned that, Dwalin thought, as he pushed himself into him, relishing the thought of having the Spymaster of Erebor crying out as he bit his neck and moaning while dragging his fingernails over Dwalin’s back in some dirty alley.

It was just like Nori, thinking that getting drunk with his lover and to be fucked in some dead end alley, roughly enough that it would surely have him limping the next day, was a nice way to relax after a taxing journey.

The rest of the night went by in a bit of a blur; Dwalin vaguely remembered holding Nori in his arms, tiredly, and then gentle hands helping him get himself presentable and leading him back to his house. The next morning Dwalin woke up in his cold bed, with only a headache and a pretty little knot on his pillow for company.

He must have been mad when he thought that Nori would appreciate him trying to deal with a proposal like a business matter. There was simply no way to ensure that Nori would act predictable enough to plan such a thing, and then he’d have to tell Nori _exactly_ what it was all about, defeating the purpose of it all once again. 

Dwalin picked up the knotted thread and glared at it, as if it was personally responsible for his ruined plans from last night. Perhaps it had some message in it, he was too hung-over to make sense of it now, and Nori usually didn’t give him anything with any important messages anyway.

With a groan he turned over and buried his head in the pillows to try and pretend that this day didn’t exist.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh Dwalin... You know, Nori probably _would_ have said yes now, or at least ask for some time to consider it. But that's no real comforting either
> 
> the knot probably says something along the lines of 'sorry' and 'have fun recovering from the hangover' (and maybe 'there's cold soup in the kitchen' but Dwalin wouldn't have understood that one anyway.) I'd also like to mention that the knots are inventions of Thorinsmut and Greenkangaroo, the friend who I'm writing this for just really loves this little fanon ^^
> 
> unbetaed, if you find terrible mistakes, tell me please? ;w;


	6. Attempt 5

Proposing to Nori spontaneously and even on accident had not worked, either making the thief angry for some reason or, as Dwalin suspected now, simply coming at a moment when he was just too on edge to answer anything like that. Planning it carefully and in advance had been a failure for the simple reason of Nori refusing to behave in a way that would allow plans that depended on him being predictable to work. Romance had failed, a sober approach had failed, the mixture of spontaneity and what Ori still claimed to be a most romantic thing had been catastrophic.

There was one thing Dwalin still could try apart from attempting to repeat his past mistakes and hope for the best an a change of Nori’s mind. A thing that Dwalin never really wished to do, not even as a child when it was brought up in conversation. 

Do it the traditional way and ask the patriarch of Nori’s family for his hand. Specifically, ask _Dori_ for Nori’s hand in marriage. It was possibly the worst condition for doing something like that. Dwalin had never much cared about simply marrying someone before, but the idea of actually courting and asking a family member for permission. That was something Dwalin had always actively disliked and frankly, he had no idea what in Mahal’s name had brought him here, into the kitchen of Dori, ready to ask if he could perhaps be allowed to marry his little brother.

Dori wasn’t talking much, had simply welcomed Dwalin in and told him to sit and wait until the tea was done in monosyllable words. It gave Dwalin a last chance to think everything though before actually asking Dori for permission, and then wait for him to go and let Nori know that he had an official suitor to accept or reject after no less than three days of consideration.

Should Nori still feel like he didn’t want to marry Dwalin, he might get angry for dragging Dori into this, but otherwise he’d now know just how serious Dwalin meant it with him. And after the other rejections and Nori being so content by his side for the past years, Dwalin really didn’t imagine that it could be worse.

And of this didn’t work out, then perhaps it was a sign to simply stop trying? He _was_ happy with Nori, as they were now, but why force a union that wasn’t meant to be?

Dori was getting out cups and readied the teakettle, while Dwalin stared at the tiny cracks and scratches on the table surface. A cup was placed before him and then Dori sat down across from Dwalin, taking small sips from his own tea.

“Well then, I believe you came for a reason”, he stated “unless you just want to wait for someone else to show up here.” Dwalin braced himself for asking the question he had hoped he’s never have to ask.

“Aye, I did need to talk to you” he cradled the tiny teacup in his hands “It’s an important matter, at least to me, so I hope we can talk it through calmly.” Dwalin looked up to see Dori looking back at him, brow furrowed slightly but eyes not entirely focused on him. He should probably just get out with it before Dori decided that he had other things to do.

“I wish to ask you for your permission to court Nori.”  
Dori stared at him over the edge of his cup and Dwalin looked back, eyes steady and preparing himself for the lecture he’d now get about how to treat Nori and what Dori expected of him and what his intentions were. He did not expect Dori’s actual reaction once he finally moved.

The teacup was put on the table with an audible crack and Dwalin flinched back in terror from the sudden force of Dori’s movements. He was a seasoned warrior, but Dori had always been the strongest of them all, with a raw brutality in his fighting which Dwalin never wanted to be the target off.

“Is this some new form of entertainment?” Dori hissed at him, one hand still clutching the damaged cup, the other tightening into a fist. 

Dwalin edged away on his chair, unsure of what to do as he didn’t even know _why_ Dori had reacted so harshly.

“I will of course prepare courting gifts that are worthy of Nori, I am quite serious about it all-“

“Oh no, you don’t!” Dori had stood up, knocking his chair to the ground in the process while Dwalin remained seated, hoping to not anger him any further. 

“I am done with the Line of Durin thinking they are entitled to… No, I have had enough!”

Dwalin rose from the chair as Dori walked around the able to glare down at him. 

“I don’t see what my family has to do with this, I simply whished to… to do this properly, you are the eldest after all and I wish to court your younger brother.”

Dori’s eyes shot daggers and Dwalin slowly backed away as he tried to come up with something to pacify him. 

“I wished to do it… the traditional way? Out of respect of your family, as Nori would like be joining mine and-“

“Enough!” Dori’s voice had reached a high pitch that meant that he had nearly reached the end of his patience. “I have had enough of this, and you lot asking that, and I want _you_ out of my house _now_!”

He shoved Dwalin along, with less force than he might be able to, but still harder than Dwalin had given him any reason to.

“But what do you have against this, you must have known that-“

Before Dwalin could finish off the sentence Dori had already pushed him out of the house and slammed the door shut so hard that it shook.

Dwalin stayed there for a few moments, staring at it and trying to understand what had just happened. Then he groaned and kicked at the door in frustration, earning a pang of pain in his foot for his effort. 

He walked away, his mood sinking steadily until people were stepping out of his way hastily and giving him weird looks for his brooding face. He didn’t walk long, only till he reached the nearest abandoned place to have his peace.

It was one of the walls around the higher up districts close to the palace, and one had a wonderful view at the balconies and gates on the upper parts of the mountain, the light of the low sun illuminating the surroundings in a way that would usually look very serene and beautiful.

Now Dwalin just was grateful that nobody was there at this time, leaving him alone to sit on the wall and brood over why Dori had reacted this way. He had expected that Dori might be surprised, or not entirely happy about his brother being courted, but he had never shown any signs of disapproving of their relationships. He had always been so polite and accepting as long as Dwalin didn’t aid Nori in whatever mischief he had planed. Why would he suddenly be so against a marriage? Shouldn’t Dori of all people be happy about it?

He sat alone, trying to make tiny knots in some loose thread, but only succeeded in ripping it apart. The sky outside the mountain had slowly started to turn dark and orange, when someone beside Dwalin huffed and sat down near him. He looked up, ready to glare anyone away, when he realized that it was Nori – and who else would have dared to approach him here and so quietly.

“What is it with everyone today?” Nori asked, scooting closer and watching Dwalin carefully, trying to judge whether he was in the sort of bad mood in which he preferred to be left alone or one in which he did not mind company.

“What’s with everyone?” Dwalin grumbled.

Deciding that it was all right Nori shifted over the wall’s stones until he was sitting right beside Dwalin, their shoulders touching. 

“As if I know? First Ori was at the market with a truly murderous expression on his face, and when I was in my room earlier and had seen what Dori has done to one of his best tea set I didn’t even try letting him know I was there. And now you are miserable too. What happened?”

Dwalin looked to the side to see Nori look back at him, with the same expression he had when trying to con someone or trick a favour out of someone, but with true concern hidden underneath. He would never really say when he was worried out loud, but this was the same.

“I had a row with Dori, but damn if I know what’s _his_ problem is, I didn’t do anything to provoke him.”

Nori chuckled and snuggled up against Dwalin’s shoulder.

“He can be like that sometimes. I can tell you when it’s save to talk to him again, if you want to.” 

They sat in silence for a while, Dwalin felt his mood improving slightly and Nori was relaxing against him.

“Why’d you go to Dori anyway?” 

This was the opportunity, he could ask Nori now, ask if _he_ would agree to a marriage. What did it matter what Dori thought, Nori had never been against opposing him after all.

But no, Dwalin had already decided that speaking to Dori would be the last try, and now everything was so… nice. Why change what was already good, why risk Nori reacting negatively again.

He let out a long sigh and wrapped his arm around Nori. “It’s nothing, I wanted to be polite and did not expect his mood.”

Dwalin pressed a kiss against Nori’s forehead, earning him a content hum, and he could nearly convince himself that it _was_ already perfect as it was now.

“Too bad, that. Dori probably had some disagreement with Ori, they’ve been snapping at each other a lot, I’m sure Dori won’t hold a grudge against whatever he now thinks you did.”

Nori made a move to stand up, grabbing Dwalin’s arm so that he was dragged up alongside him. 

“Let us go back … let us go back to your house, I’m sure we’ll have some quiet time there? No chance of running into someone else who happens to have a bad mood.” Nori smiled up at him, a sincere little smile on his face, as he was making an effort to cheer Dwalin up somehow, even if it wasn’t much. His smile widened as Dwalin grinned back, at ease finally.

It really _could_ be perfect, just like that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh Dwalin...   
> last of the failed attempts, only one chapter left... and maybe... maybe side stories from Nori and Dori's point of view... maybe, if I can think of something


	7. Yes

The end of the day couldn’t come soon enough for Dwalin. He was growing weary of the work that needed to be done, and he simply was in no mood to do any of it now. It was all just dry paperwork which he had taken back home, and really there should be someone else to deal with this, but unfortunately it was the head of the guard who had to read and sign it all.

Now the papers just lay in a stack on Dwalin’s table, while he leaned back in his chair, numbly staring at the dim embers in the fireplace with glazed yes. He should be doing _something_ but right now he couldn’t even bring himself to get up and leave the room. He couldn’t even fall asleep to later claim that he had worked too hard or just taken a break (which might lead to Nori coddling him for a while).

Dwalin had nearly drifted into a trance like state when a sudden noise startled him out of it. It had been unmistakably Nori’s voice, and he never really yelled or cried out like that, ever. Unless something had happened? Or he had discovered something?

He made a move to rise from the chair but hovered at the very edge with his hands clutching the armrests. He wanted to go and see if everything was all right, but Nori hadn’t sounded distressed so perhaps there really was no need? Dwalin watched the door, uncertain as to what to do.

Only a few moments later he was saved from making a decision by steps approaching quickly and the door flying open. Nori rushed into the room, took a second to glance around and then throwing himself into Dwalin’s arms.

Dwalin oofed at the sudden weight hitting his chest but finding himself with a lapful of clinging redhead was quite worth the onslaught. It took him a moment to realize that Nori was actually muttering something in between bursts of laughter, and a little longer for him to calm down enough for his words to be understandable.

“Yes, yes Dwalin, the answer is yes!”

He then started laughing again, quietly but not even trying to keep it in. Dwalin slowly raised his arms to wrap them around Nori’s waist and petted his braid. He had no idea what had gotten Nori so excited but it must have been something really good.

“Care to share what got you so happy?” he asked after he was sure that Nori would be able to answer.

Nori tightened his hold and kissed along Dwalin’s jawline and cheek, humming contently as he squirmed even closer.

“Isn’t it obvious? I wasn’t that sure if you wanted me like this anymore, but us being husbands is just so… nice! So of course I say yes to such a proposal, it was really sweet to!”

Dwalin stilled and then placed his hands on Nori’s hips to push him away slightly and stared up at him.

“What- what sort of proposal do you mean exactly?”

Nori shrugged and pulled a couple of long threads out of his sleeves, showing them to Dwalin. After squinting at them he recognized the old ones he had been practicing on while Nori wasn’t there to watch or correct. These ones were near rows of knots that represented both his and Nori’s crest, clumsily made one after another to form chains of their names one after another in the knot sign. 

Dwalin still remembered doing them absent minded, and then getting angry with himself for behaving like a lovesick tween who scratched the name of their crush on parchment instead of doing the tasks in arithmetic. He couldn’t bring himself to burn them or throw them away, so he had hidden them away in some box to be nearly forgotten about. 

But what had this to do with anything?

His confusion must have shown on his face as Nori’s smile dropped of his face and he stiffened and leaned further away from Dwalin.

“Oh, but I presumed too much. Of course not how stupid. Tying knots of each other’s names like this is basically like letting everyone who cares to read know that you belong together, are partners and practically married. Or like proposing wordlessly. I assumed you intended this but there really is no way you could have known what it means.”

Nori started sliding of Dwalin’s lap slowly, disappointment and shame on his face. He shook his head and sighed.

“Can we pretend I never said a thing? Can you ignore everything I did right now, please?”

“No!”

Dwalin grabbed Nori’s wrists to hinder him from going, and then immediately released him to not make him struggle to get away even more. But Nori stopped moving and watched him closely, giving Dwalin a chance to explain himself.

“I didn’t expect you to… agree to a proposal I didn’t know I made. But I want you to marry me, I _really_ want to!”

Dwalin huffed as he tried to think of what to say that wouldn’t make Nori want to leave again, though he did feel him relaxing slightly and shifting on his lap.

“Just… you have always rejected me when I proposed before? I didn’t expect to ever hear you say ‘yes’ and I was content to let the matter rest!”

Nori shrugged. “You asked when I was really unsure about whether we would work out? I thought you tried to mock me, or that you just didn’t know me yet and…” he bit his lip and frowned. “Why are we talking about rejection when we should be happy? You want to marry me, I want to marry you? Isn’t it all that matters right now?”

Dwalin grinned and felt a weight he hadn’t known was there lift of his chest. This really was happening, he _was_ going to have Nori as his husband, after decades of longing and wishing for such a thing to happen.

“Of course.”

Nori smiled and nestled against Dwalin happily. 

“Good. I don’t suppose we could just… run off and marry in secret? And then let them figure out on their own that we wear each other’s braids?”

Dwalin chuckled and wrapped his arms so tight around Nori that it earned him a small mumble in protest.

“No, as tempting as it is. But I owe Balin at least that much after all these years.”

Nori let out a exaggerated groan. “Oh _fine_ , but it is _you_ who gets to tell Dori. He’ll be your brother after all.”

Now it was Dwalin’s turn to groan, which earned him another laugh. He sighed and adjusted his hold on the smaller Dwarf as he shifted closer on Dwalin’s lap, to wrap his arms and legs around him as much as he could on the chair. It wasn’t uncomfortable and Dwalin was content to just hold Nori. 

“Why did you go through the boxes you found the threads in, though? “

Nori shushed him as soon as the question was asked, snuggling up more.

“You know what you’re getting by wanting to marry me, no turning back now.”

Dwalin let it go, not really wanting to know why Nori had to sneak around places and look through things he’d get permission for if he just asked. 

He buried his face in Nori’s braided hair, relaxing and yet holding on tighter than before, feeling Nori’s arms doing the same around his neck. It was so nice, just sitting like this, with other things that surely needed to be done but didn’t matter, holding on to Nori to his _betrothed_.

Now, Dwalin thought, _now_ everything was perfect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so... I started a fic with multiple chapters... and finished it. wow :')  
> thank you all so much for the kudos and comments and just reading this! 
> 
> perhaps there will be sidestories soon, but till then,
> 
> the end

**Author's Note:**

> unbetaed all mistakes are mine, though I will fix them soon
> 
> it is now part of a series, which will mostly include the Brothers' Ri point of views


End file.
